Gibraltar government backs out of plan to purchase HMS Illustrious

A plan to purchase the defunct Royal Navy carrier HMS Illustrious has fallen through with the Gibraltar government citing the astronomical maintenance costs as the reason for pulling the plug.

The project would have seen the carrier as the star attraction in Gibraltar’s old naval dockyard, and maintenance costs would have been subsidised by ticket sales.

The 22,000 tonne aircraft carrier was rushed into service three months ahead of schedule in 1982 for the Falklands War. It also served in the Gulf, the Bosnian War, and aided the Philippines after Typhoon Hayain.

HMS Illustrious is one of three Invincible Class Carriers, the other two being HMS Ark Royal and HMS Invincible, both of which have already been scrapped.

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